The Asylum

The Asylum Courtyard was built around 1900 and was located in the central part of the area – a distinct quarter where all buildings were yellowwashed with red tile roofs. Here, an entire small world was created, framed by four buildings and a park with a bust of Professor Christian Keller placed at its centre – symbolising both the idea and the initiative behind it.

Originally, the Asylum Courtyard consisted of five sections distributed across four buildings:

• The Men’s Asylum to the north and the Women’s Asylum to the south, each accommodating 80 residents

• The Children’s Asylum to the east with space for 50

• The Hospital to the west with 36 beds

• And the Asylum for Youth, which has since been demolished

Here, men, women, and children were housed separately, yet within a shared, enclosed, and structured community. In addition to the residents themselves, there was also space for 40 able-bodied individuals who took part in the daily operations – an integrated part of the institution’s way of life.

In 1917, the hospital was equipped with its own dental clinic – another sign of the institution’s ambition to be both self-sufficient and modern.

The Asylum has since been carefully renovated, and the former institutional buildings now house the hotel Comwell Kellers Park. The original structure and atmosphere have been preserved.